Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1887-05-05
BLIND BOONE.

ne bilnu boone entertainment |
at the NJ. +. church last Monday
evening was a rare musical treat, of
which large audience participated.
The remarks of the Grant County
Herald on the same being so com
plete they are reproduced without
further comment.
Neither the statements made upon
posters, nor, alas the comments of
the press can always be relied upon
as evidence of the excellence of an
entertainment, and it is doubtful if
many attended with sanguiue ex-
pectations. Those who did not,
had pleasant surprise in store for
them, for no musical performance
here has ever been more satisfactory.
In writing Of this concert, however,
one feels that he is in a realm where
the ordinary methods of criticism
fail. OF Blind Boone's playing we
can say 1t was wonderful, the tech
nique perfect, the execution bril-
liant, clear and delicate and the re,
cital as whole thoroughly enjoy
able from a musical standpoint. But
of the almost supernatural power
which is back OF all this, the strange
unusual conditions which in the
darkened chambers of his soul
evolve the possibilities which we
see developed in Boone, nothing can
be sad which III any way explains
the phenomenon. Those who have
heard Blind Tom, natursiIy compare
these, the only two podiges of the
kind that have ever lived
Blind Tom, full blooded negro,
born "A slave and almost imbeoile,
with the superhuman power of re-
producing after single hearing the
most elaborate aud difficult musical
compositions aud of initiating so
perfectly on the piano any sound
yerglng pn the musical, be IT bag
pipe, hand-organ or banjo that one
not seeing would never know that
the sound was any otGer than that
produced by the special instrument
itself, has always been one OF the
wonders of the age. In Blind Boone
the same marvellous gift is manifest,
though in some ways Il degree less
incomprehenslble from the fact that
in him the intellect is active, and
also from the fact that Blind Tom
never received any musical instruc-
tion, while Boone has been TO some
extent musicaIly educated. This will
explain why Boone's playing, in
Interpretation aud execution, is more
satisfactory than Blind Toms. |
may also explain why his limitations
are less perfect. In both there is
external evidence of peculiar ner-
vous condition, and IN this perhaps,
may be found the only possible ex
planation of their powers. In Blind
Tom the diseased nervous state
manifests itself in violent twltchlng
of hands, arms aud face exceeding
ly painful to see, but when seated at
the piano, IT is as If peace had been
spoken over troubled waters, the
motions cease and entire rep0se
falls upon hlm. With Boone the
nervousness is exhibited in per
peLual swaylng of the whole body
and these movements increased in
violence while he is playing. Al
though somewhat distressing at
first, one soon forgets 1t IN the
pleasure of listening. La the enter
tainment the other night the au
dlence was delighted within is execu-
tion of 'Listz, "Triumphal March" "
Gottschalk's Last Hope" and other
selections Of e9ua artistic merit.
Boone also played several compO-
sitions of his own, among which
the description OF the storm At
Marsh field, Missouri, seemed most
to delight the audience. The coming
of the storm, with the pealing and
crashing OF thunder, the rising Of
The wlAd, the sudden gusts Of rain
were wonderfully represented; in
deed With closed eyes one must be
lieye that 1t was yeritable conflict
of the elements. The most aston
ishlns exhibition of his remarkable
perception of musical tones and
intervals, was his correct reading of
single notes, chords, dIscords and
ruus as they were struck on the
piano. Before the notes were fairly
struck he would call them off with
hghtuing rapldity and in no in
stance was there the mistake Of q
single note. He also played with
perfect exactness, as it was played
for him, u selection by one Of our
best musicians, after single hear
ing. His imitation on the piano OF
the old darkey's frantic efforts TO-
scrape out a jig on fiddle that
obsllnately refused to stay in tune,
was very amusing, as were his iml-
taunus an The month organ of the